New Companion
by Citrine Rain
Summary: Jack McCoy reluctantly makes a new friend while visiting Claire's grave. One he never thought he would have needed.
1. Chapter 1

The spring sun peeked out underneath the overcast clouds. The budding trees gave way to beautiful rich colorful leaves and the bushes erupted with the scents of flower blossoms. The city of New York was at that moment an artist's dream model. Everyone bustled to and fro going here and there and amidst the honking horns, the police sirens, and overall traffic that was the big apple, its patrons seemed to be a good mood. Everyone that is, except one.

"I hate this." The tall thin grey haired man murmured as he sat on the grassy ground. "What the hell is the point of what I am doing if your not here by my side. I could give it all up in an instant if it would just bring you back Claire."

He fingered the single white rose he held in his hand. She always liked it when he brought her a white rose on one of their fancier dates, even though she pretended that he was just trying to weasel his way back to her or his apartment. He remembered the day she stepped into her office and saw the simple bouquet sitting on her desk. Twelve long stem white roses held together with a small bow. Nestled within the bow was a small card that simply read, "12 beautiful roses for 12 beautiful months you've been in my life."

He had watched from the doorway nervously as she gave a small laugh and put the card back inside the bow.

"I never took you for cheesy Jack McCoy, but I guess I was wrong." She had said as she turned around. She tried to act complacent, but he saw that her pale cheeks were tinged pink.

"Just thought I'd commemorate your 1 year being here Ms. Kincaid." He said professionally. "I do try to be gentlemanly from time to time."

She smiled, approached him, and gave him a swift kiss on the cheek.

"Thanks." She murmured as she left her office to go see Adam Schiff leaving a blushing seasoned lawyer in her dust.

Now it was the present, she was gone, taken away by a stupid car accident before he had a chance to really tell her how he felt. All he had left was a dumb rose and a cement block with her name on it. She had been gone for almost a year and it still hurt like a bitch.

"I loved you you know." Jack whispered. "I say it every time I come here. But do you hear me at all? Do you know at all Claire?"

He bowed his head trying to fight the tears that had blurred his vision.

"Mrow?"

He opened his eyes for second at the sound and thought he was just hearing things. He wiped his eyes with his sleeve when he felt a tugging on his other hand.

"Mrew."

He turned and saw a kitten, no bigger than a stone trying to bat at the white rose in his hand.

"Hey hey!" Jack yelled. "Knock it off, that's not for you!"

He pulled the rose away. The caramel and black striped kitten looked up at him curiously and stood on its hind legs to try to bat at the rose once again.

"I said quit it!" Jack yelled again as he stood up on his knees. Again the kitten stared at him blankly and tried to approach him a little closer. But instead of going for the rose it decided to rub up against his leg. Jack stared at it strangely as he felt the vibration of the cat purring.

"Huh, odd thing." He said to himself as he watched the small animal continue to rub up against him. It couldn't have been no more then a few weeks, maybe a month old tops.

"You watching this Claire?" Jack said up to the sky to the angel he hoped was listening. "I told you I was okay with animals, it's kids I never caught on with."

He stared down at the animal once more as his legs began to ache.

"Alright you mangy thing, you had your fun now I am going to go."

He got up.

"I'd give you something to eat but I have nothing on me except some gum, so you better go home, your mother's probably waiting."

He then slapped his forehead.

"Good grief I am talking to a cat, I need a drink."

He gently placed the white rose on the cold grave, gave the tombstone a kiss with his fingertips and got up.

"I'll be back sweetheart." He murmured. "I love you."

He slowly began to walk down the hill of the cemetery heading towards its exit, but he felt like he wasn't alone. He turned his head and saw that same caramel and black kitten trotting right behind him.

"Mew, mrow!" It yelled as it approached him.

"Hey I told you to go home!" Jack said annoyingly. "Or find some garbage can to dig in, I said I have nothing for you!"

The kitten just looked up at him with big bright eyes.

"If you think you're coming with me then you're crazy. I don't have time for animals, so scram!"

The kitten just continued to stare. Jack had hoped his anger tone would have scared it off, but it just stood there look up at him. Jack was too tired for this and just wanted to get home. He left the cemetery and headed out west towards his apartment. He had decided to walk over to the cemetery instead of use his motorcycle because the weather was so nice.

As he walked down the busy New York City streets Jack tried to ignore the stares he got from people. They were smiling as they passed by because the kitten was still following him. It was quite a sight, the grey haired gentleman trying to avoid the near running kitten on his heels. He figured he would lose it once he got to the busy crosswalks, but the kitten found ways to maneuver around them without becoming road pizza.

Finally he reached his apartment building and took a breath. He was winded, but there that stupid cat was coming up right behind him.

"You're a real pest you know that?" Jack said panting. The kitten just licked its paw and once again ran up to rub up against Jack's leg.

"Flattery will get you nowhere." Jack said. "It was nice meeting you, but now we must part ways. Goodnight cat."

Jack opened the door to his building and went inside and headed towards the elevator. He hit the up button. The door pinged open and he got on. He took a breath once the elevator jerked up and closed his eyes.

"Mrow?"

Jack's eyes shot open and he looked down, sure enough there was the kitten staring up at him.

"How the, you were just, how did you get in here!? QUIT FOLLOWING ME!" He yelled. If his colleagues had seen the way he had just exploded right now, they would have had a laughing fit. He was ready to tear his hair out, it was pretty comedic and Jack's comic relief was dry at best.

The elevator doors opened and Jack practically ran out trying chase away the cat. Maybe if he was lucky the Fulton kids from 8B would see it and want it. They were known to play out in the hall every once in awhile. Unfortunately for him, no kids in sight and the cat was charging right behind him.

"Got a new friend with you huh Jack?" It was Mrs. Damanski, the eighty five year old Polish lady who lived across the hall from him. "Such a little thing."

"Yeah Helinka." Jack said as he slid down in front of his door. "I just can't seem to get rid of it; it's been on my tail all day."

"Ah poor little baby." Helinka said as she leaned down a little to get a better view of the cat. "It must be no more than six or seven weeks old, the mother probably abandoned it."

Suddenly Jack had an idea.

"Well since it came here, did you want to take it?" Jack said. "I can't put up with a pet! I don't have the time, but I am sure you and your husband would like it."

Helinka smiled.

"I would love to Jack, but unfortunately my husband Yanosh is allergic to their fur."

Just then the kitten jumped into Jack's lap and tried to nuzzle underneath his chin. Helinka laughed.

"Besides, I think it likes you more."

"Feeling's not mutual." Jack mumbled.

"I am sure it will be nice companion for you." Helinka continued. "I must be going now, goodnight Jack."

"'Night.'" Jack mumbled. He looked down at the kitten who was dozing in his lap.

"Alright you win." He sighed. "I might as well take you inside and give you some milk or something. Then I'll call the ASPCA and have them come get you."

With that he took the now sleeping into his hand and unlocked his apartment door and went inside.


	2. Chapter 2

Jack walked into his apartment and turned on the light. The kitten stirred a little in his arm as he shrugged off his jacket and threw it onto a nearby chair. He grabbed a copy of the Sunday Times that he had skimmed through earlier that day. With his free hand he laid it down on the hard tiled kitchen floor and placed the kitten down on it.

"Don't get too comfortable." Jack murmured as the kitten yawned and stretched and moved into a more comfortable position. He walked over to his hall closet and pulled out a phone book. Immediately he skimmed for the ASPCA's local phone number, picked up his phone, and dialed the number.

"Thank you for calling the Manhattan Division of the ASPCA, we are currently closed. We are open Monday through Friday 8am-5pm, if you'd like to leave a message..."

"Dammit!" Jack yelled and slammed down the phone. He searched through the phone book once again and called a local animal shelter. But when he listened to the attitude of the shelter's owner, he immediately hung up angrily. He tried one more shelter who said they didn't pick up animals and that he had to bring it in.

Jack looked out the window and it was already getting dark. He was tired and in no mood to grab a cab, head through NYC traffic, drop off the cat and go through the whole thing over again. And he sure as hell wasn't going to take the cat on his bike.

"Thank you." Jack said tiredly and hung up the phone. He peered over to the kitten who was still curled up in a ball on the newspaper fast asleep. He walked over to the kitten and kneeled down.

"Again you seem to have won cat." Jack said. "Guess you're going to be staying with me for the night. But first thing in the morning I am taking you over to the ASPCA. You are not staying here, you get me?"

The kitten opened its eyes and looked up at Jack.

"Don't think the cute act will work furball, you picked the wrong person to manipulate."

"Mewl." It said and got up and stretched and walked over to Jack and nuzzled his hanging hand.

"You probably have fleas too." Jack whispered, but inside he was humbled. "I suppose you're hungry. You better hope I have milk otherwise its tap water for you."

Jack got up and opened up the fridge. It was already pretty scarce. Just some leftover eggplant parmesan from Luigi's, a few bottles of beer, and something mysterious and probably alive in a Tupperware bowl. He hunted in the abyss further and found a small carton of half and half.

"Huh, I don't remember having this Jaime must have brought it when we pulled that all nighter on that Mancuso case." Jack said as he took the carton and checked for the expiration date. It was still not expired. He opened the lid and sniffed. He shrugged, seemed fine to him. He then went hunting for a bowl. The kitten meanwhile kept rubbing up against his legs.

"Alright, alright I am coming you little beggar." Jack scolded. He hunted through his cupboards. The bowls he used occasionally for cereal and soup would be too big for the cat; it would probably knock the bowl over and make a mess.

"Mew, mew." The cat cried.

"Whining isn't going to get you any further to food." Jack said as he started hunting around the apartment. He found a small glass wide ashtray on his coffee table. He lifted it up.

"Grand Central Hyatt?" He said looking at the back of the ashtray. Then his heart began to ache as the memory flowed back. He had taken Claire there last year a few months before her death. She had helped him win a big case and he really wanted to celebrate with her. But instead of their usual go to a bar and apartment fan faire, he surprised her with tickets to the opera, and then afterward a walk around central park, and then to the Hyatt for the rest of the evening. They hadn't left till the next morning. It had been a truly wonderful night. He had absconded with the ashtray as a memory and his arm around Claire's waist as they left the hotel.

"Mrow?"

That knocked Jack back to reality as the kitten was starting to knead at his leg with its tiny claws.

"Ouch hey!" Jack yelled. "Watch it! Alright, I'll feed you!"

He stomped over to the kitchen sink and washed out the ashtray. After he dried it, he poured some of the half and half into the ashtray, he then placed it on the newspaper as the kitten trotted over to it.

"There you happy now?" Jack asked sarcastically. The kitten stared into the bowl and then looked up at him.

"Go on, drink it." Jack said just as his stomach began to rumble. He clutched it and decided it was time for him to eat too. After a second hunt through the fridge he pulled out the leftover eggplant parmesan and put the contents on a plate and into the microwave. While it was heating he grabbed a beer from the fridge and opened it. He turned over to cat as he took a sip. It was just staring at the ashtray of milk.

"You gonna stare at it or eat?" Jack said as he pulled his dinner out of the microwave.

"Mrew?

"Your choice." Jack said as he took his dinner and headed to the living room and turned on the tv. He had a case to work on, but he decided to take it easy tonight. He had spent the last week leafing through law books and criminal records while listening to the smart alec ramblings of a snot nosed lawyer at least 15 years younger than him trying to make him drop the charges. Capital murder of a mother of two because the husband needed the cash, but wants to plead insanity, yeah right.

He turned on the evening news and collapsed against the couch.

"Meow, mewl." The cat howled from the kitchen.

"Eat your dinner!" Jack yelled as he took a bite of his meal.

"Mreow, mrew."

"Not gonna work!" Jack yelled as he turned up the volume of the tv and grabbed his beer.

"Mreeeewww."

Jack grumbled and got up angrily and headed towards the kitchen.

"WHAT?" Jack yelled as he stared down at the cat. "I gave you milk, you should be passed out by now."

He looked at the ashtray. It was still pretty full. The kitten however just pawed at it and looked up at Jack with sad eyes.

"What is it with you!?" Jack yelled he said kneeling down. "See, milk, eat!"

Jack put his finger into the milk and shoved it under the cat's nose. The kitten sniffed it and began licking his finger. Jack raised an eyebrow. The kitten licked its chops and mewled again. Jack put his finger once again into the milk and the kitten ate it up hungrily.

"Huh, for a stray I figured you had the eating thing down." Jack said with a sigh. He took the ashtray and poured some of the milk into his open hand. He then put it under the kitten's nose and once again it drank happily. So happily its face was getting covered in milk. Jack couldn't help but laugh as he wiped it off with his thumb.

* * *

Around 11pm after an hour of dozing on the couch Jack got ready for bed. He made a makeshift litterbox out of an old shoebox and crumpled newspaper and put the kitten in it. He left some more newspapers around for the kitten to sleep on as well.

"Time for bed." Jack said as he put the kitten down. The kitten stretched and yawned and curled up into a ball.

"I have to get you down to the ASPCA before heading into the office, so its going to be an early morning." Jack said as he turned off the light in the kitchen. "'Night furball."

Jack headed into his bedroom and he collapsed into bed. Within half an hour he was fast asleep.

* * *

Two am. Jack awoke feeling he wasn't alone. He sat up quickly just as he felt something jump into his lap. He looked down to see the kitten curling up against him. Jack lifted it off.

"Scram!" He said pointing out towards the door. "I made you a perfectly nice bed out in the kitchen! Besides, you probably got bugs on you, last thing I need is an infestation!"

The kitten just looked up at him and moved towards him.

"Oh no." Jack said as he tried to move the kitten away from him. "Off and out!"

The kitten circled and then lay down next to him.

Jack slapped his forehead. He was too tired for this and wasn't about to get out of his nice comfy bed and put the cat back in the kitchen.

"Fine." He murmured wrapping the blankets around him. "But just for tonight. Tomorrow, new home you go!"

The kitten was already asleep as Jack once again got comfortable and fell asleep with the kitten lightly snoring against him.


	3. Chapter 3

The sun was still tucked away in the sky barely making its appearance when the phone in Jack's apartment began to ring

The sun was still tucked away in the sky barely making its appearance when the phone in Jack's apartment began to ring. Jack stirred but didn't open his eyes. Hoping it was just a wrong number he tried to go back to sleep. But the phone wouldn't stop ringing. Annoyed, he reached over and grabbed the receiver.

"McCoy." He said scratchily.

"Jack its Jamie!" The voice of A.D.A Jamie Ross, Jack's second chair, spoke excitedly into the phone.

"Jamie?" Jack asked. He opened his eyes to see it was a little after five a.m. on the clock. "What is it?"

"I just got a call from Curtis and Briscoe, they found the witness of the Gallagher case found stabbed in her apartment! The M.E. believes it homicide!"

"Great." Jack murmured. "And let me guess, Gallagher's lawyer wants to talk now?"

"Unfortunately, he seems determined on declaring a mistrial over lack of evidence and now with this wants to prove it's obviously not his client."

'Dammit, I hate these new lawyers.' Jack thought. It was true, once a newbie got wind of something pertaining to their case all they needed was one cup of coffee and then would start making the calls; usually jumping to assumptions before getting all the facts in order. Nevertheless it always cost Jack a few good extra hours of sleep.

"I'll be there in about 45 minutes, if your there before me please start the coffeemaker." He begged.

"Way ahead of you. I've already got a pot boiling and I'll make sure to get more after Katie's sitter gets here." She sighed. "There goes this week's paycheck."

Jack grunted and hung up the phone. He was about to turn over when he just realized he felt a small pressure on his back. He moved his hand to the middle of back where he felt a handful of fur. Then he remembered the kitten from yesterday.

"Huh." He murmured as he looked over his shoulder and saw the kitten sleeping comfortably in a ball on his back.

"When did you get up there?" He said. But of course the kitten didn't respond.

Jack rolled his eyes and lifted the kitten off of him. It stirred and yawned, but barely noticed it was being moved.

"Great, just great." He murmured. He had been hoping to maybe sleep in and then take the kitten to the ASPCA on his way to work. But that outcome didn't look so good now, at least for the morning anyway. Jack had no choice, it was nearing 35 minutes before he had to get to the office, and the pet shelters weren't opened yet.

"Looks like you get to stay a little bit longer, at least until this afternoon." He said. "But you can't stay in the apartment all by yourself, you'll tell it apart!"

He thought quickly as he started getting ready for work. The kitten awoke, mewled, then hopped off the bed and went to make use of the makeshift litterbox in the kitchen. Jack followed it just to be safe was relieved to see that the kitten at least knew where its own bathroom was. Jack then showered and got dressed whereas then the kitten returned just as he was tying his tie.

"I know you want your breakfast." He said as he walked quickly into the living room. "Well sorry cat looks like its half and half again for you and you better eat it because I can't help you right now."

He filled the bowl with what was left of the half and half and put it down. The kitten looked down and began to lick away.

Jack gave a small smile, a prayer that the kitten wouldn't destroy the place and that he would get out in time to take it to a shelter, and out he went.

* * *

"Ah Jack good morning!" Helinka Damanski said as she came out of her apartment with her husband Yanosh on her arm. "You're up awfully early."

"Yeah." Jack said waiting for the elevator to come up, it was being slow though. "I got called into the office."

"Poor boy." Helinka said. "Yanosh was having trouble sleeping too, so I thought we would take a brisk walk. Isn't that right?"

Yanosh said nothing, but that's what he usually did now. Yanosh suffered with bouts of dementia and it got worse every year. While their children made sure they were well cared for Yanosh and Helinka still maintained their independence while a visiting nurse came by everyday. Sometimes on occasion Jack would sit in with Yanosh when Helinka needed to run a long errand. For an elderly woman she had the energy of a 30yr. old.

Meanwhile Jack would sit and ask Yanosh questions about things he enjoyed like old war movies and his career as a clockmaker before he and a pregnant Helinka fled Poland before the Nazis could reach them. Yanosh would get frustrated when he couldn't remember something, but Jack would try to cheer him up by talking about Helinka's cooking or about the weather outside. Helinka would always reward Jack after she returned with a home cooked meal of Kielbasa, pirogues and Kapusta (a shredded cabbage dish).

"And have you named your new friend yet?" Helinka asked.

"New friend?" Jack asked.

"The kitten."

"Oh that, no." Jack said. "I have no intention of keeping it. In fact I will be taking it to the shelter on my lunch break."

Helinka frowned slightly as Yanosh shifted a little on her arm.

"That's too bad, both you and the little thing make a good pair. It seems to adore you very much."

Jack shook his head. He knew what Helinka was doing and wasn't going to fall for it. But then another idea struck just as the elevator pinged opened.

"Hey Helinka?" He asked as he held the elevator door open. "Could you do me a favor?"

"Of course." She said.

"I know Yanosh is allergic to animal fur, but could you off and on just check on the kitten and make sure it is alright and not destroying my place, maybe feed it some milk or water?"

Helinka smiled.

"Certainly Jack." She said. Jack fished in his pocket and pulled out his spare key. He nearly laughed. The key had practically belonged to Claire, but after she had died he had the sad task of cleaning out her desk. He found the key tucked away next to some of the cards he had bought her for her birthday or a holiday. She kept them all, each and every one of them since she had been employed. He was so overcome he fell back into her desk chair and quietly cried.

He slowly handed Helinka the key, hopped onto the elevator and shouted thanks as the doors closed.


End file.
